I was asked by a young convert once, when they would be able to enjoy the new Heaven and the new Earth spoken of in Revelation. I believe that before that can come to pass, a great change must come about in our lives. One of these first changes must be, or rather should be, a new heart and a new spirit, before any can have a part in the new Heaven and the new Earth. Ezekiel 36: 26, “A new heart also will I give you….” I believe God wants to give us a new heart when He looks down and sees our old heart, a place He cannot dwell in. What sort of heart did we have before the gospel touched us? We could have had a proud heart, a fearful heart, or a double heart. But now God can change our heart; instead of giving us a proud heart, He takes it away and gives us a humble heart. Instead of a double heart, He gives us a single heart; instead of a deceitful heart, He gives us a pure heart. God changes our hearts so His work can be done in us.
I believe that is the first step God takes in making us fit for that New Heaven and New Earth. Then He says, “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit.” If God doesn’t give us a new heart, there isn’t much hope we’ll ever enjoy the new Heaven or new Earth.
2nd Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” So isn’t that the next step God takes to change our hearts? We have become like Paul says, “a new creature in Christ Jesus.” All the old things have passed away and everything has become new. When we look back, we can see that all the old things have passed away and everything has become new.
I remember young converts asking me why they couldn’t do this, or that, and the other thing. Why couldn’t they do them? Well friends, we can do them. We can do just as we please, there’s no law against it, but if our human nature is not changed, and these old things have not passed away and become new, it shows us this old nature of ours is still with us and God hasn’t been able to do anything with our lives.
In Revelation 3, another new thing is mentioned that God will give us. The 12th verse says, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I shall write unto him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” I love that thought of God, that after He has changed us and given us a new heart and a new spirit, He wants to give us a new name, too. We often think of a bride and a bridegroom. On the wedding day, the bride signs her name for the last time, for she now belongs to her bridegroom. The bridegroom takes away her old name, just the same as God does when He gives His name to His bride.
There are many sects and parties and creeds in the world today, and each one wants to have their own name. Go back to the tower of Babel. Didn’t the people say, “Let us make us a name?” Someone said to us in Ceylon, “You’re just like a dog without a collar. You have no owner and you have no name.” Didn’t God say He would give us a new name? Revelation 3:12, “Him that overcometh.” When I look back and see all the things that God gives us, we have every reason to rejoice. The world looks upon God’s children differently and asks, “Who do you belong to?” The world will never know it’s His people who have this new name given to them. He gives His name to us when we become new creatures in Christ Jesus. Our name belongs to Him. I believe you may sometimes have difficulty explaining this new name when you go to the hospital, etc. Just remember, we bear the name of our Father.
Hebrews 8:10 speaks of a new worship. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel up to those days …… I will put my laws into their minds and write them in their hearts.” Now I have often thought of this as the new worship. After God gives us a new name, He gives us a new worship. How wonderful what this way of God has changed for us. Things that the world looks upon today, these little meetings and conventions, etc., is the way God has planned and has blessed. Isn’t it also good when we realize that and we come together? We all know the Lord. I remember going to a church and thinking that the only man who stood knew the Lord. God said He would write His laws on their hearts. There would be no need for any other man to teach these things to us.
I think it is Peter who speaks about the new heaven and the new earth. We according to His promise look for the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. I noticed that the word heavens is used here and not heaven. I have often wondered about that verse and why it says the new heavens, and not the new heaven? When I thought about this, I believed that heaven is only a supply base for the earth we live on. Take away heaven, and how long would the Earth exist? It wouldn’t exist for two minutes. I feel that is a little picture of God destroying the earth one day — heaven will be destroyed, for God will have no more use of it. He will make a new heaven and a new supply base.
What about the new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness? What about it, the new earth God gives to the righteous? We can turn to Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” I love to think of that picture John saw that day. He saw God letting down from heaven something that encouraged him. He also said in verse 1, “…. there was no more sea. When he said he saw no more sea, I believe he saw no more death and no more mystery. From heaven, he saw the New Jerusalem, a bride adorned for her husband. I don’t know whether you have ever noticed that in this chapter and the next chapter seven things are mentioned that will be no more. There will be no more death, no sorrow and crying, no pain, no more night, no more tears and no more curses. These things are of this old earth and are not of the new that God wants for His people. These are the things that help us enjoy what God is giving us.
There was another thing I noticed about the New Jerusalem which came down from heaven adorned as a bride for her husband. There is lots of preparation before a bride can meet her bridegroom, and aren’t we preparing for that day when we, too, will appear before our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
Then I enjoyed thinking of that building in the city of the New Jerusalem. It speaks of the foundation first and the precious stones. It says that the apostles are the foundation. When I think of those precious stones, I think first of their gathering, of the miner going out and collecting those precious stones from the earth to put into the foundation. When a miner goes out to gather these precious stones, he has more to do than just find them, he must cut and polish and chisel them. That is the foundation God builds upon. Our foundation is a beautiful foundation — it is wonderful.
Then I noticed it says that the gates were pearls, each gate having several pearls. Each was the same. In Ceylon, there are many real pearls. A lady once had a fine collection of jewelry, which she showed me. I asked her about her pearls and how she procured them. Sometimes, just a little grain of sand gets into an oyster shell and causes the oyster to suffer. It puts out a little secretion around that grain of sand to protect it and it forms a precious pearl. The pearl is formed because the oyster suffers. Just a little grain of sand brings suffering to an oyster. Jesus went through a great deal of suffering before He became the Pearl of great Price. In New Jerusalem, there are pearly gates. This gate is like Jesus, there is no other gate that goes into that city. He is the only One and there is no other.
It also says that the city will be measured by a reed. Jerusalem will be measured by Christ, just as the friends will be measured by Him on that great eternal morn. We’re told the city’s dimension is 1500 miles square. Not only is it square, but its length, breadth and height are equal. That is far beyond our comprehension. New Jerusalem will be measured by the Golden Reed, by Christ. There is no Temple, either. We do not look for any temples here. The world continues to look for temples yet the new Jerusalem has no temple or light. Its Temple is God, and its light is God.
As I thought upon that city, I thought of its dependency upon God. Its supply base is the new heaven, you might say, because it comes from God. Can we think of adding anything else? God will supply that city completely.
Nothing is mentioned of any food in this city, so I don’t think it’s necessary. Our place is in that city, whose builder and maker is God. I feel its new supply base might be God and God alone who gives us a place in His kingdom.
Unless we have this new spirit and new heart, this new name and new covenant and new worship in this new way, we will have no place in this new earth and new heaven, wherein dwelleth the righteous.
I would like to one day have a part in this new Earth and new heaven. May God see us preparing for that place now. I pray each will stand the test. I also pray that we are building on that foundation of the prophets, for God is its light, He is the Temple and He is the supplier of it. God will judge us accordingly on that great eternal morn.